Chapter 13: Yan Baiyue’s Visit

Chapter 13: A Visit from Yan Baiyue

The room was thick with the heavy scent of oranges.

An Alpha's pheromones are secreted through their glands and bodily fluids. The pheromone concentration in the room now was even stronger than that night, which could only mean Xie Chi had lost a dangerous amount of blood.

Yan Wanqiu looked at Xie Chi, who stuck his wet head out of the bathroom, stared at his deathly pale face for a moment before saying coldly, "Take him away."

Xie Chi: ???

Xie Chi's eyes widened in disbelief as he watched the people around Yan Wanqiu surge forward.

These people were brought by Yan Wanqiu, so Xie Chi didn't dare fight back. He could only let himself be carried out of the bathroom.

Yan Wanqiu looked at Xie Chi.

The guy had clearly just showered. Caught off guard and carried out, he was only wearing pajamas, his hair still wet, and he was clutching a set of thermals identical to the one he'd given "Ji Chou."

The clothes still had leftover soap suds and a large patch of dried bloodstains.

Clearly, Xie Chi had been washing clothes just now.

Yan Wanqiu's temples throbbed.

He'd thought Xie Chi, pushed to his limit by Yan Wanqiu's orders, had barely made it back from a deadly mission, badly injured, and then, afraid to go to the infirmary because of Nie Huaiyi's message, had dropped dead in his bedroom.

Yan Wanqiu was brutal, but he always rewarded merit and punished failure fairly. Given Xie Chi's great contribution, letting him die miserably at home would only demoralize the troops.

So Yan Wanqiu had grabbed the medics and kicked the door in.

Turns out, he'd overthought it.

What the hell was wrong with this guy? Injured this badly, and the first thing he does is run home to shower and do laundry?!

"Wait! Your Highness! I'm only wearing pajamas! Put me down first! Whatever it is, let me get dressed first!!"

Xie Chi frantically pulled at his clothes, his voice sounding perfectly fine.

Seeing him bouncing around like that, Yan Wanqiu guessed Xie Chi probably just had some surface wounds and waved the medics off.

"Put him down." Yan Wanqiu rubbed his temples. "Strip him, patch him up, and that's it. No need for the ER."

The medics obeyed and set the stretcher down right there.

Xie Chi, face full of panic, clutched his clothes protectively and squawked loudly.

"Your Highness, you can't! I'm a married Alpha—stripping in front of you is indecent..."

Yan Wanqiu watched Xie Chi flopping around like a fish out of water, and his bad mood lifted considerably. A glint of mischief flashed in his eyes. "Seeing Captain Xie so full of energy puts my mind at ease—someone gag him."

"Mmph! Mmph mmph mmph!"

The medic was quick, stuffing a chunk of the broken door into Xie Chi's mouth. Xie Chi bit down on the piece of wood and glared furiously at Yan Wanqiu.

You tyrant!!

Xie Chi, furious, swallowed his pride.

There was no choice—he couldn't get out of Yan Wanqiu's camp in one piece right now.

Whether it was his skills or his space ring, they were his trump cards. Exposing them in front of Yan Wanqiu just to avoid getting undressed would be way too impulsive.

Xie Chi swallowed his pride and stopped struggling, only biting hard on the wooden chunk with his sharp teeth, pretending it was Yan Wanqiu's flesh.

His shirt was removed.

The young man's body, smooth, lean muscle, was exposed to everyone's gaze. He wasn't bulky, but he radiated power. His muscles were tense with anger, like a beautiful, dangerous leopard.

The medic blurted out in shock: "...Captain Xie, you're not injured?"

Yan Wanqiu stared at Xie Chi for a beat before the medic's words sank in.

Xie Chi's body was spotless—no wounds, not even a single scar.

"What's going on? Didn't Nie Huaiyi and Shi Peijue both say you were hurt?" Yan Wanqiu frowned.

Xie Chi spat out the chunk of wood and said irritably, "Just because they said I was hurt doesn't mean I am. You should've asked me first, don't you think?"

The healing fluid worked great on surface wounds. Xie Chi had used it specifically so Yan Wanqiu would notice something was off, so now he was naturally confident.

Part of it was also genuine anger.

A man with no self-respect is like a rotten cabbage.

If word of being stripped in public got back to Ji Chou, and Ji Chou got the wrong idea and thought he was some kind of slut, what then?

Xie Chi huffed and put his pajamas back on.

Seeing that he really hated being stripped in front of people, Yan Wanqiu said to the medics, "Leave for now."

The medics didn't dare say a word and quickly filed out.

Only Xie Chi and Yan Wanqiu remained inside.

Yan Wanqiu looked down at Xie Chi, who was sitting on the floor buttoning up, and said flatly, "You're hurt."

Xie Chi was still pissed, his tone clipped: "No, I'm not. The blood's not mine. The Night Owl Syndicate's base is in Windcliff Village. I blew it up, so I got some blood on me."

Yan Wanqiu was quiet for a second. "Then where did the pheromones come from? You're so full of energy that after killing Boss Ye, you still had time to take care of your own... needs?"

Xie Chi, who'd only become an Alpha later in life, hadn't even thought about the pheromones. His face went red. "You—!"

Xie Chi looked up, met Yan Wanqiu's red eyes, and remembered how he had nearly been crushed by Yan Wanqiu's rampaging pheromones back at the start.

Xie Chi took a deep breath. He endured. He stood up, straightened his clothes, and knelt on one knee, all proper etiquette: "Your Highness, I'm a married man, and it's been a long time since I've seen my spouse."

The implication was that he and Ji Chou, those two ill-fated lovers, had been driven to this state by Yan Wanqiu—so what was wrong with him thinking about Ji Chou?

This time, Yan Wanqiu was the one left speechless.

Yan Wanqiu awkwardly changed the subject: "You did this mission excellently, better than I expected. Next time you're hurt, call the medics directly. Otherwise, when other shadow guards see it, they'll think I'm kicking people to the curb after they've served their purpose, and that would demoralize them."

Xie Chi got it—Yan Wanqiu was trying to keep morale up.

He lowered his head. "Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. I'm fine. Have you counted the guns and verified the kills?"

Yan Wanqiu paused, then let out an "mm" in acknowledgment.

Xie Chi fell silent, and it took a full two or three seconds before Yan Wanqiu realized Xie Chi was asking to be paid.

"Get up. I won't touch Ji Chou. I'll have the money wired to your account shortly," Yan Wanqiu said.

Xie Chi didn't rise. "Your Highness, could I have it in cash?"

"That's fine." Yan Wanqiu wasn't about to make a fuss over something like this, so he readily agreed.

Only then did Xie Chi stand up, offering Yan Wanqiu a genuine smile. "Thank you, Your Highness."

The orange pheromone scent in the room showed no signs of fading. Yan Wanqiu was caught off guard by Xie Chi's smile, an odd flutter stirring in his chest.

He looked away, refusing to meet Xie Chi's eyes. "You did a great job on this one. Is there anything else you'd like as a reward?"

Xie Chi wasn't about to turn down a reward—if Yan Wanqiu was offering, he'd take whatever he could get.

He thought for a moment, then said, "Yan Baiyue will soon arrive in Blizzard City. To get to him, I'll need to come and go from camp a lot. Running every move by you would be a hassle, so I'd also like a pass."

All of Yan Wanqiu's personal guards had unrestricted passes, but since the original owner of this body had been suspected of betrayal, he'd been suspended from duty and had his pass taken away.

Xie Chi had already decided to pawn off some of Boss Ye's stuff on the black market. His own supplies couldn't see the light of day, and checking in with Yan Wanqiu every time he left or came back was too risky. A pass would make things a whole lot easier.

Yan Wanqiu nodded slightly. "Fine."

Xie Chi smiled. "Thanks for trusting me, Your Highness."

He didn't mention wanting to see Ji Chou.

For one, his place wasn't fully set up yet. For another, Yan Baiyue would be arriving soon, and Ji Chou cared about him too much—meeting him now would just drag him into the original owner's mess.

At the very least, he'd wait until tonight to see how things played out, then use the healing serum and the Yan Baiyue hit as bargaining chips to see Ji Chou.

He'd already given Ji Chou the other half of the thermal ore mining map. Since Ji Chou had managed to dig up intel on the Night Owl Syndicate, he clearly had some skills—he could look after himself.

And since Xie Chi had just finished his mission and Yan Wanqiu still needed him to take out Yan Baiyue, there was no way he'd go after someone Xie Chi cared about right now.

With that in mind, Xie Chi shot Yan Wanqiu a curious look—the guy seemed to be waiting for something.

Weird—why was Yan Wanqiu still here?

He'd already done his whole "show concern to win loyalty" routine. What was he still doing here?

With the pheromone smell this thick in here, even a high-ranking alpha like Yan Wanqiu had to be uncomfortable.

Xie Chi racked his brain, trying to figure out what he might've missed, then quickly walked back to the bathroom, grabbed the gun he'd dropped in his earlier panic, and handed it to Yan Wanqiu.

"This is the gun I checked out for the assassination job. I'm returning it to you, Your Highness. I'll send you the mission report on its own before tonight."

Yan Wanqiu took the gun and pocketed it.

He gave Xie Chi a look he couldn't read, then turned and walked out.

Through the doorless frame, Xie Chi watched Yan Wanqiu's retreating back and muttered, "Weird..."

Was Yan Wanqiu off his meds today or something?

Xie Chi stood there for a second, replaying what he'd said.

Nothing wrong with it.

So it had to be Yan Wanqiu's problem.

Xie Chi figured there was no way he could get inside the head of a tyrant with Pheromone Dysregulation Syndrome, so he just crouched down and propped the wooden door back up.

Better fix the door first—it was freezing out there.

Half an hour later.

"Strange..."

Xie Chi held the wooden door, scanning the room.

The hinges had been kicked off by Yan Wanqiu, and the wooden stick the medics had used to gag him earlier was probably the same one.

Xie Chi distinctly remembered spitting it out on the floor, but now it was nowhere to be found.

"Did the medics take it with them?"

Xie Chi was still guessing, about to prop the door up with a table as a temp fix and change clothes before heading to logistics for repairs, when he spotted Nie Huaiyi coming toward him—briefcase in one hand, food container in the other, with a guy trailing behind hauling a brand-new wooden door on a cart.

"Captain Xie." Nie Huaiyi smiled. "His Highness sent me to get your door replaced and to hand over your payment. He said you did great work, so he doubled the reward."

With that, he handed the briefcase to Xie Chi.

Xie Chi was surprised, taking the heavy briefcase. Whatever irritation he'd felt earlier vanished, and he smiled. "Thank you, Your Highness."

Who called Yan Wanqiu a tyrant? The guy was practically a saint!

The repairman got to work swapping out Xie Chi's door, while Nie Huaiyi passed the food container to Xie Chi.

Lowering his voice, he said, "Someone asked me to bring this to you. They figured since you came back this early, you probably hadn't eaten. They told me not to say who it was—just to tell you I grabbed it from the mess hall on the way."

Xie Chi's eyes lit up as he took the container, playing along in a low voice. "Same person as last time?"

Nie Huaiyi nodded eagerly.

The two exchanged a knowing glance.

Nie Huaiyi thought: His Highness is so weird—every time he wants to look out for Captain Xie, he insists on doing it anonymously. What's the point when the secret's been out forever?

Xie Chi thought, heart melting: My wife really does keep thinking about me QAQ

Inside the palace.

"Ah-choo—"

Yan Wanqiu sneezed out of nowhere.

He frowned irritably at the message on his smart device.

"Yan Baiyue: Brother, the lord of Frostbite City is sending me to Blizzard City at 7 PM tonight. Make sure you prepare a welcome banquet for me~ Oh, and I heard Blizzard City had a huge fire last night—was it a terrorist attack? How terrifying, do you need the main star to send help?"

Yan Wanqiu let out a cold laugh.

Yan Baiyue was clearly using Frostbite City and the main star as leverage, trying to intimidate him.

The fool—did he forget whose territory Blizzard City was?

How the hell did Xie Chi end up falling for this omega?

Just thinking about Xie Chi made a wave of irritation wash over Yan Wanqiu.

Even though Xie Chi had explained he was an Alpha who liked other Alphas, he'd heard it crystal clear that day—Yan Baiyue calling him "A Chi" over and over.

After that accidental night with Xie Chi, seeing how smitten Xie Chi was with "Ji Chou," Yan Wanqiu had actually bought Xie Chi's story to some extent.

But over the past few days, Yan Wanqiu couldn't help but feel suspicious again.

Was Xie Chi's so-called love at first sight for Ji Chou really what he claimed it was?

After offering up the mineral distribution map and earning a chance to prove he wasn't a traitor, Xie Chi never once asked to see Ji Chou again.

Even though Xie Chi had held Ji Chou's hand that day and sworn he'd meet him again in just three days.

Even though Ji Chou had risked his life to deliver crucial intel to Xie Chi.

Even when he himself brought up Ji Chou and asked Xie Chi if there was anything else he wanted.

It was as if Ji Chou had been completely erased from Xie Chi's mind. After using him to clear his name as a spy, Xie Chi had simply tossed him aside.

Yan Wanqiu's gaze darkened, his fingers clenching unconsciously, gripping the wooden block he'd inexplicably picked up from Xie Chi's room.

The young Alpha's bite marks were clearly visible—those were the fangs an Alpha used for marking. That night, Xie Chi had left mottled marks all over his body with those very fangs.

A faint, barely-there scent of oranges wafted off the wood.

It was a pheromone scent that was green and clean.

Maybe because the scent was so fresh, every time Yan Wanqiu caught a whiff of Xie Chi's pheromones, his violent temper would ease for a moment. The reason he'd been so civil in Xie Chi's room today was largely thanks to those pheromones.

But right now, all Yan Wanqiu felt was irritation.

This smooth-talking Alpha.

If he weren't actually "Ji Chou" himself, he might have been fooled by Xie Chi's innocent-looking love at first sight act.

Then again, a guy whose backers could produce terminals and temperature-controlled suits couldn't possibly be that guileless.

Good thing he was on his guard now. If Xie Chi really had ulterior motives, he'd slip up once Yan Baiyue showed up tonight.

Yan Wanqiu thought darkly: Xie Chi had better have nothing to do with Yan Baiyue.

Otherwise, he wouldn't hesitate to castrate that piece of trash with his own hands.

Knock, knock.

A knock sounded from outside the hall. Nie Huaiyi's respectful voice came through: "Your Highness, as you instructed, the wooden door has been installed for Captain Xie. The payment and meals have been delivered as well, and Captain Xie is very grateful. I've been acting in Captain Xie's position for over three days now. Should I return the post to him?"

Nie Huaiyi thought in straightforward terms. The misunderstanding between Yan Wanqiu and Xie Chi seemed to have been resolved. As the deputy captain of the Shadow Guard, it wasn't right for him to keep overstepping his bounds. Better to hand the authority back while Xie Chi was riding high on his merit.

Little did he know he'd walked straight into the line of fire.

The moment Yan Wanqiu heard the name "Xie Chi," his pheromones began to slip out of control. A biting cedar scent lashed out indiscriminately at every living thing around him. His tone was cold as ice: "Who told you to bring him food? He deserves to starve."

Nie Huaiyi broke out in a cold sweat, his head throbbing with pain, his knees going weak. "I-It was Your Highness's order..."

Yan Wanqiu: "..."

Only then did Yan Wanqiu remember that he had, in fact, casually mentioned that when he'd told Nie Huaiyi to deliver the payment to Xie Chi.

Old habits die hard.

Yan Wanqiu rubbed his temples.

He'd actually forgotten about that. His mind was getting muddled again.

This was a warning sign that his Pheromone Dysregulation Syndrome was flaring up again.

Yan Wanqiu took a deep breath, struggling to stay lucid.

When his pheromone disorder took hold, he was reduced to nothing but a killing instinct—no reason, no restraint. On a normal day, it wouldn't be a big deal—he'd just lock himself away or pick a fight with some unruly gang in Snowstorm City and slaughter his way through them.

As long as he vented all that violence, his sanity would briefly return.

But Yan Baiyue was on his way. At least tonight, he couldn't afford to lose control.

Yan Wanqiu stood up and tossed the wooden block into the trash along with the insulated combat suit Xie Chi had sent over. He let out a cold laugh before answering Nie Huaiyi outside the door.

"Fine, reinstate him. Give him back his pass too."

Yan Wanqiu's gaze was heavy.

Last time, he'd been too impulsive—he'd tipped off the enemy without having solid evidence. That was what gave Xie Chi room to maneuver.

This time, he'd catch Xie Chi red-handed.

"Oh, and since we're hosting a welcome banquet for Yan Baiyue tonight—and since Xie Chi's fine—let him come too."

.

Night.

Xie Chi tugged at his formal collar, uncomfortable. He stole a glance at Yan Wanqiu standing diagonally ahead of him.

That afternoon, he'd had his terminal AI write up the mission report for him. He'd left out the part about the spatial ring and Yan Baiyue before handing it to Yan Wanqiu.

No sooner had he submitted it than Nie Huaiyi showed up with his pass, the reinstatement notice, and an invitation to the banquet.

That made Xie Chi uneasy.

Yan Wanqiu was paranoid by nature, and until Yan Baiyue was good and dead, he'd never fully drop his suspicions.

Reinstating him at a moment like this felt more like a test.

—a test to see if he really was involved with Yan Baiyue, or working with him from the inside.

Too bad the original owner of this body really was the mole. And that afternoon, Yan Baiyue had messaged him asking about what really happened with the explosion at Windcliff Village.

Xie Chi had killed cleanly, leaving no trace behind. So he simply told Yan Baiyue that he'd been detained by Yan Wanqiu last night, and that Yan Wanqiu had vanished without a trace.

It never even crossed Yan Baiyue's mind that Xie Chi might have betrayed him. He naturally assumed Yan Wanqiu was behind last night's incident and said they'd plan things out properly once he arrived in Snowstorm City.

Xie Chi: TvT

Please, no more planning. If they kept scheming, he'd be sliced into even, paper-thin pieces.

"Boom—"

The roar of an aircraft rumbled from the distance, snapping Xie Chi out of his thoughts.

He looked up and saw a sleek, silver, compact aircraft approaching through the fine snow—clearly worth a fortune.

It was Yan Baiyue's aircraft.

Xie Chi immediately snapped to attention.

The aircraft touched down unhurriedly under everyone's watch. The hatch opened, and a slight man draped in a white fur cloak, his long white hair flowing, stepped out.

His features bore some resemblance to Yan Wanqiu's, but were more effeminate, and with his overly thin frame, he had a sharp, mean look about him.

Behind him stood a tall young man with fox-like eyes crinkled with a hint of a smile. Luggage in hand, he stepped up beside Yan Baiyue and opened a large black umbrella to shield him from the snow.

Yan Baiyue descended the steps, chin up, refusing to even glance at Yan Wanqiu: "Dear brother, long time no see."

Yan Wanqiu didn't hold an umbrella; snow like this was more common than air on the North Star. A light dusting of snow had settled on his shoulders. He ignored Yan Baiyue and instead looked at the person beside him.

"Lord You, isn't it a bit rude to show up uninvited?"

Yan Wanqiu's words were far from polite. The fox-eyed young man smiled good-naturedly at this and spoke up: "Your Highness, there was a sudden explosion in Snowstorm City last night, and my close friend perished here. I was worried sick, so I tagged along with the Third Prince to check things out."

"This is our first time meeting, isn't it? No need to be so on guard with me, Your Highness."

Yan Wanqiu snorted coldly: "Seen enough? Then scram."

The fox-eyed young man was thick-skinned and just smiled without saying more.

That's when Xie Chi finally clocked who this guy was.

—The city lord of Icebound City, an A-class alpha—You Fuzhu.

Due to its unique geographical location and backing from the main star, You Fuzhu had repeatedly sicced the Night Owl Syndicate on Snowstorm City after the freezing period began, which forced Yan Wanqiu to send troops out to fight.

At that time, Shi Peijue had already made initial use of thermal ore, and with the new energy source backing them, the two sides ended up dead even. After months of bloody fighting and heavy losses, Yan Wanqiu's Pheromone Dysregulation Syndrome suddenly flared up. He lost his mind and charged into the enemy camp alone. He killed You Fuzhu, sure, but he was left gravely wounded, inches from death.

Icebound City was one of the top cities on the North Star. After You Fuzhu's death, Yan Wanqiu absorbed his forces and steamrolled through the region, quickly seizing control of the North Star during the freezing period and crowning himself king.

But it was those severe injuries from the fight with You Fuzhu that made things worse. Originally, as long as he wasn't provoked, Yan Wanqiu could stay lucid for over half a month at most.

After that incident, Yan Wanqiu was trapped in constant, unrelenting torment from his illness, which also set the stage for his eventual downfall and self-destruction.

Xie Chi guessed that the destruction of the Night Owl Syndicate's headquarters would inevitably alarm Icebound City, but he hadn't expected it to kick up such a fuss that You Fuzhu himself would show up.

He started scheming to himself.

You Fuzhu and Icebound City posed a massive threat to Yan Wanqiu. If he could successfully assassinate Yan Baiyue, Yan Wanqiu's next assassination target would probably be You Fuzhu.

In that case, after killing Yan Baiyue, he could slide right into the next mission without worrying about being tossed aside once he'd outlived his usefulness.

The three of them were each lost in their own thoughts, completely ignoring Yan Baiyue for the moment.

Seeing that no one was paying him any mind, and even Xie Chi was off in his own world, Yan Baiyue got annoyed: "Dear brother, are you not welcoming me?"

Yan Wanqiu glanced at him: "Cut the crap."

Yan Wanqiu was getting annoyed.

Ever since he was exiled, he had completely burned bridges with the main star. Faking brotherly affection made Yan Wanqiu want to puke.

Yan Baiyue's face went white, then red, while Xie Chi lowered his head to stifle a laugh.

In the end, it was Nie Huaiyi who had the sense to step in and smooth things over, taking Yan Baiyue's luggage: "Third Prince, your welcome feast is ready. It's cold outside, so let me take you to your room to warm up and rest first."

Yan Baiyue took the out he was given, shooting Yan Wanqiu a vicious glare before following Nie Huaiyi out.

You Fuzhu didn't follow them inside. Instead, he held his umbrella and smiled at Yan Wanqiu: "Was it you who pulled that off at Wind Cliff Village? How'd you slip in there without leaving a trace?"

Yan Wanqiu ignored him and turned to leave with Xie Chi and the others.

"City Lord Yan," You Fuzhu said softly.

"The Third Prince brought four thousand elite troops to the North Star in total. Two thousand are stationed at the remnants of the Night Owl Syndicate in Snowstorm City, while the other two thousand are temporarily housed in Icebound City, at the wind gap just down from Wind Cliff Village. Roughly a hundred of them are packing new-model weapons."

Yan Wanqiu stopped mid-stride and turned around: "What do you mean?"

You Fuzhu narrowed his eyes with a smile, stepped closer, and continued: "Don't go treating everyone like an enemy, City Lord Yan. The North Star has nine cities. Though there are frictions between them, they're all constrained by the main star. You're already sitting on a treasure that makes you a target, and now you insist on opposing the main star, clinging to the smallest city, Snowstorm City, instead of throwing in with a bigger one. I'm afraid the freezing period's gonna be rough on you."

With the freezing period at hand, it didn't just cut off outside threats—it turned the North Star into a lawless, isolated island.

That thermal ore was just too damn tempting. The other cities had stayed quiet only because the main star had stepped in personally, sending Yan Baiyue to grab the ore without losing a single soldier.

But on this trip, You Fuzhu had already figured out that Yan Wanqiu had zero intention of letting Yan Baiyue walk out of Snowstorm City alive.

And once word of Yan Baiyue's death got out, Yan Wanqiu would openly burn his bridges with the main star, and the North Star would descend into chaos.

With that, You Fuzhu folded his black umbrella and handed it to Yan Wanqiu: "City Lord Yan, having a big city to shield you from the storm beats fighting solo, doesn't it?"

Xie Chi blinked.

So You Fuzhu was trying to recruit Yan Wanqiu—to become his boss?

How drunk was this guy to think he could make the Tyrant his underling?

Sure enough, Yan Wanqiu took a cold step back, letting the black umbrella drop into the snow, flat-out ignoring You Fuzhu's offer.

His blood-red eyes bore darkly into the scheming You Fuzhu, and he sneered: "Is that so? I'm actually looking forward to the freezing period. Right now, with all these chains on me, I can't kill as much as I'd like."

With that, Yan Wanqiu turned and left, with Xie Chi following close behind.

You Fuzhu watched their backs for a beat, then turned and boarded the aircraft.

Inside the aircraft.

The pilot, one of Yan Baiyue's men, had overheard everything and frowned at You Fuzhu: "Lord You, what do you mean by this? Are you selling out our Third Prince?"

You Fuzhu lounged back in his seat and threw both hands up in mock surrender: "As if I'd dare. Didn't you all see it this morning? Wind Cliff Village got wiped clean, top to bottom."

"From Boss Ye passing out to croaking, it took no more than thirty minutes. That guy didn't leave a single trace on camera, cleaned out the village's warehouse completely, and walked away from the explosion without a scratch. Whoever did this is seriously skilled."

"Honestly, with Yan Wanqiu drowning in his Pheromone Dysregulation Syndrome, he was no threat to me. But if he's really got a blade like that on his side... I'm afraid the power balance on the North Star is about to shift."

The pilot's brow furrowed as he asked warily: "So what?"

"So—" You Fuzhu smiled, raising a hand to reveal a gun pressed against the pilot's forehead.

"Why would I put all my eggs in one basket, even if that basket is backed by the main star?"

The moment those words left his mouth, a muffled gunshot rang out. The pilot's eyes went wide in disbelief as he crumpled, never imagining You Fuzhu would actually lay a hand on the Third Prince's man.

You Fuzhu tucked the gun away, switched on the aircraft's autopilot, and kicked the pilot's corpse off the cliff edge overlooking Snowstorm City.

He turned back to look at the Blizzard City camp, now just a speck on the horizon, the amusement in his eyes fading into a cold, sharp chill.

Though that fool Yan Baiyue's trip to Blizzard City would likely be one he wouldn't come back from, it had at least been good for something.

On the way to Yan Wanqiu's camp, Yan Baiyue might not have noticed, but You Fuzhu had seen firsthand how thermal ore had improved living conditions in the surrounding areas.

In just over a month after Yan Wanqiu arrived, heating stations had been built in a town that was once barren, hot water pipelines had been installed, and every household now had a stove—which was nearly a miracle in Blizzard City, where temperatures remained below minus thirty degrees year-round.

And this was just from simply burning thermal ore.

Around the camp, he could see at least three mines. At this production rate, just one frozen season would be enough for thermal ore to completely change the current energy shortage.

Especially for You Fuzhu, who was the lord of Frostbite City under Yan Huishi, not only liaising with the Night Owl Syndicate but also being on the front lines of receiving and transporting the new weapons sent by the Mechanical Civilization.

With the advent of electromagnetic guns—a game-changing weapon with immense energy consumption—the importance of energy had become even more pronounced.

This was a game-changing resource more valuable than money or land. If wielded properly, he could even rule the entire Northern Domain, or even go up against the main star.

No one could resist that kind of temptation. That was why the eldest prince was so anxious, sparing no expense to ship in a batch of weapons from overseas, sending Yan Baiyue—who had been set to marry for political reasons—to seize it personally.

You Fuzhu narrowed his eyes, reached his hand out of the aircraft window, and caught a handful of snowflakes.

He rubbed his fingers together, and the medicinal powder that had been applied to the black umbrella dissolved into the melting snow.

You Fuzhu chuckled softly: "Even without the Night Owl Syndicate, the Pheromone Dysregulation Syndrome... this actually makes it easier for me to strike."

Yan Wanqiu did possess some ability worthy of his attention, worth recruiting as a subordinate.

But if he refused to see reason, he would simply have to let him die during the frozen season.

.

Blizzard City.

The welcome banquet was held in the great hall of Yan Wanqiu's residence.

Even if he couldn't stand Yan Baiyue, he still had to keep up appearances. The hearth blazed, and the long table was loaded with Northern Domain specialties: paper-thin, translucent slices of raw fish; large platters of roasted snow antelope with crispy skin; local berries topping cream cakes... and even some greens and tender bamboo shoots.

Yan Baiyue had already changed into fresh clothes, eyeing the spread with disdain, his voice dripping with contempt: "What kind of garbage food is this? Yan Wanqiu, I traveled all this way to Blizzard City, and you're fobbing me off with a few plates of greens? Isn't that a bit too shabby?"

Yan Wanqiu had felt a throbbing ache at his temples ever since he'd laid eyes on Yan Baiyue. He took a sip of the strong liquor in his cup, suppressing the irritation and murderous urge rising in his chest, and cast a cold, indifferent glance at Yan Baiyue: "Then go to the kitchen and cook something better yourself."

Yan Baiyue was at a loss for words.

Having two alpha elder brothers, the worst thing Yan Baiyue had ever had to endure growing up was an iced Americano. Now, being repeatedly put down by Yan Wanqiu—who had once indulged him—without any mercy, Yan Baiyue was thoroughly pissed off.

He scanned the bustling crowd in the banquet hall, a malicious idea forming in his head. He deliberately raised his voice to fire back: "Yan Wanqiu, who do you think you are now? You're nothing but a madman who can't control his killing urges, an exiled criminal. Who the hell gave you the right to talk to me like that?"

Hosting a private banquet for Yan Baiyue alone was clearly wasteful in Blizzard City, where resources were scarce, so Yan Wanqiu had simply told the mid-to-senior staff who weren't on duty that night to change into formal wear and come enjoy a buffet.

Yan Baiyue's voice rang out loudly, drawing sidelong glances from everyone around.

Including Xie Chi, who was standing with a plate in hand, torn between grabbing a grilled meat chop and a cream cake first.

The weight of all those stares bore down on him, and Yan Wanqiu's head throbbed even harder.

He suppressed his discomfort: "Shut up."

"What right do you have to tell me to shut up?" Yan Baiyue saw Yan Wanqiu's grim expression and knew he'd hit a nerve. He kept pushing, his voice shrill, "Yan Wanqiu, I call you 'big brother' out of respect, and you actually think you're my brother? Your parents died long ago—it was my parents who took you in out of the goodness of their hearts—"

Yan Baiyue was cut off mid-sentence when Yan Wanqiu dragged him straight out of the banquet hall.

"What are you doing!" Yan Baiyue stumbled along as Yan Wanqiu pulled him, a venomous smile spreading across his face. "Yan Wanqiu, are you gonna lose control again? Admit it—you're just a madman who can't control himself, and you think you can run Blizzard City?"

"You're the one who insisted on stealing the spotlight from me and eldest brother. Even exiled, you can't stay quiet, stirring up all this thermal ore trouble. Now we have to run all over the place because of you. Why do you have to keep opposing us? Can't you just hand over the thermal ore mines without a fight?"

"Oh, and you probably don't know this—our mother and father despise you too, and the Emperor fears you even more. The poison we've been slipping you was always done with their silent approval. We never once thought of you as family, you—"

Yan Baiyue was cut off as snow dumped over his head and face.

Yan Wanqiu had dragged him straight out to the open area in front of the residence.

The cold snow jolted Yan Baiyue back to his senses, cutting his angry rant short. He met Yan Wanqiu's blood-red eyes, and his confidence wavered.

"You..."

Yan Baiyue had only wanted to repeat his old trick—goad Yan Wanqiu into losing control publicly, ruining his reputation within the Blizzard City camp—but he hadn't planned on getting his own ass kicked.

He finally remembered that Yan Wanqiu was an alpha far stronger than he was. Panicking, he yanked his hand free and stumbled back a few steps: "Even if you lose control, you can't hurt me! Eldest brother and the Emperor both sent me here to reclaim the thermal ore. If you harm me, you're defying the Emperor's orders! They won't go easy on you this time!"

Yan Wanqiu hung his head, saying nothing.

Unpleasant memories came flooding back.

At the joint military exercise, after he lost control and attacked several people before being subdued, he was dragged away like a rabid, defeated beast as the crowd watched.

Six years ago, when he first entered politics, he was all over the headlines for championing a new energy revolution, hailed by countless citizens as a pioneering reformer.

Then, two years later, when he turned eighteen, everything changed overnight.

Pheromone Dysregulation Syndrome clung to him like a ghost that wouldn't leave. Yan Wanqiu grew increasingly irritable and volatile, forced to withdraw from politics and gradually hand over his power to Yan Huishi and Yan Baiyue.

They weren't blood brothers, but they'd grown up together, and Yan Wanqiu trusted his family.

And what did that trust get him?

His achievements were systematically erased, replaced by scandalous rumors of the second prince's violent outbursts. The once-in-a-millennium S-grade alpha was twisted by malicious rumors into a pitiful creature with genetic defects who couldn't control himself.

Yan Wanqiu had suppressed his killing urges for four grueling years, undergoing multiple surgeries for treatment, never once suspecting that everything from start to finish had been set up by his own family—until he was utterly destroyed at the joint military exercise.

The more brilliant Yan Wanqiu had been in his prime, the more humiliating his fall.

The scent of cedar in the air grew sharper and more suffocating.

Yan Wanqiu's head was pounding like it was about to split open. He clenched his jaw so hard it ached, barely holding himself back from lunging at Yan Baiyue.

A fire seemed to burn in his chest, the searing heat fueling a murderous urge. At that moment, Yan Wanqiu only wanted to rip apart everything in his path.

Kill him. Kill him.

Kill him—

"Um..."

A hesitant voice cut through Yan Wanqiu's spiraling thoughts.

A faint scent of orange drifted in with it, clearing some of the blood-red haze in his mind.

Xie Chi had run after them, plate in hand. Meeting Yan Wanqiu's bloodshot gaze, he steeled himself and shoved the plate with the cream cake toward him: "Why don't you two... eat something first before you keep going?"

Meeting that pair of red eyes, Xie Chi grew even more nervous.

He hadn't wanted to meddle in Yan Wanqiu's affairs to begin with.

But Yan Wanqiu's pheromones were about to condense into a tangible pressure wave, and it looked like he was about to overturn the table and kill someone.

Ji Chou was working in the kitchen—if he happened to be working tonight's banquet and got caught in the crossfire, that'd be bad.

Besides, Yan Wanqiu had doubled his pay, and the Tyrant did look pretty pitiful right now. He should probably side with his own boss...

With that thought, Xie Chi gave Yan Wanqiu a fawning smile.

Yan Wanqiu's gaze lingered for a moment on the dimples in his fair cheeks, and his pheromones actually started to slowly recede.

Xie Chi smelled really good.

The alpha wasn't wearing a suppressant patch, so even without deliberately releasing pheromones, he carried a faint trace of his own scent.

That tiny wisp of scent was negligible among the usual mix of smells, but at this moment, it was magnified infinitely in Yan Wanqiu's senses.

The boy had a fresh, clean sweetness of youth about him.

Yan Wanqiu couldn't help but recall that night of closeness, and those bright, glittering eyes.

He slowly raised his hand, reaching toward the plate Xie Chi was holding.

Just then, a hand appeared out of nowhere and snatched the plate right out of Xie Chi's hands.

Xie Chi stared at Yan Baiyue in shock.

The moment Xie Chi appeared, Yan Baiyue had assumed this loyal little simp had come to save him. When Xie Chi looked up, he immediately flashed him a smile: "Thanks, how did you know I like frozen berry cake?"

Xie Chi: "...?"

Xie Chi turned his head stiffly to look at Yan Wanqiu, whose expression had gone cold: "Wait, I can explain—"

He really didn't know what Yan Baiyue liked to eat! He'd just grabbed something at random to get to Yan Wanqiu!

"Shut up." Yan Wanqiu withdrew his hand, feeling utterly humiliated by how foolish he'd just been.

He had to be insane to think Xie Chi had come for him.

Holding onto the last shred of his sanity, Yan Wanqiu shoved past Xie Chi, who was blocking his way, and strode quickly out of the palace.

Like he was running away.

Xie Chi watched Yan Wanqiu's retreating figure in despair, gritting his teeth, furious at Yan Baiyue.

Getting dragged down by Shi Peijue was one thing, but with Yan Baiyue, the one who'd suffer next would be his wife.

Yan Baiyue, cake in hand, looked at Xie Chi in confusion: "A Chi, why are you staring at Yan Wanqiu?"

Xie Chi shot the culprit a dark look, then curled his lips into a brilliant smile.

"Nothing. It's cold out, Third Prince. You should get back to the palace soon."

He just really wanted to kill him, that's all.

.

Late that night.

Xie Chi trudged wearily back to his quarters.

Yan Wanqiu was the city lord and could leave whenever he pleased, but subordinates like Xie Chi didn't have that luxury.

Especially since Xie Chi had been reinstated today. As captain of the Shadow Guard and a personal guard personally trained by Yan Wanqiu, hosting Yan Baiyue naturally fell to him after Yan Wanqiu left.

Yan Baiyue was clearly pleased with this arrangement, spending the entire evening trying to charm Xie Chi while loudly regaling the banquet guests with tales of Yan Wanqiu's scandals on the main planet, while the guests looked on in discomfort.

Even if Xie Chi wasn't particularly loyal to Yan Wanqiu, he couldn't bear to listen any longer. In the end, he secretly swapped Yan Baiyue's juice for strong fruit wine, handed the drunk man over to Nie Huaiyi, and slipped away.

"Ugh."

Xie Chi trudged through the snow, letting out a heavy sigh.

Was Yan Baiyue sent here to torment him or what?

He'd finally managed to kill Boss Ye, seize the supplies, and earn a sliver of trust from Yan Wanqiu—and now Yan Baiyue's antics had probably wiped out that trust entirely.

No wonder Yan Baiyue had brought four thousand elite soldiers and had a high-ranking mole on the inside, yet still got completely wiped out by Yan Wanqiu.

How could anyone be this dumb?

But unfortunately, this idiot wasn't just anyone. Even if Xie Chi wanted to kill Yan Baiyue, he'd have to wait until a few days before the frozen period.

Otherwise, the main planet could send an army at any moment to flatten the entire Blizzard City.

For now, Xie Chi could only choke down his frustration.

He thought about how to explain things to Yan Wanqiu tomorrow as he made his way to his door.

Just as he was about to turn the doorknob, Xie Chi's footsteps halted, and his gaze sharpened instantly.

Something was off.

Someone was breathing in the room.

Late at night, the camp was silent except for the footsteps of patrolling guards. In that stillness, the unfamiliar breathing inside was especially conspicuous.

The person in the room was breathing heavily, clearly agitated.

Xie Chi frowned, his fingers twitching as he pulled a concealed handgun from his spatial ring.

He silently circled around to the back of the house, opened the bathroom window, and slipped inside with his gun drawn.

"Who's there?"

Xie Chi stepped out of the bathroom, aiming his gun toward the source of the breathing, ready to fire at any moment.

But when he saw who it was, Xie Chi froze.

There, on his bed, a white-haired man was curled up in his blanket.

The room was in complete disarray—the table overturned, the wardrobe knocked over and cracked, and the heater dented by something.

The kitchen window was shattered, cold wind pouring in through the broken pane. The man's face was buried in his blanket, his ears flushed red, his breathing rapid. His robes hung half open, revealing skin covered in bruises and scratches, with even a long gash across his abdomen—the wound gaping, bleeding profusely.

In the air, the lingering scent of orange pheromones Xie Chi had left this morning mingled with a gentle woody fragrance—a scent Xie Chi knew all too well.

"...Wife?"